Vietnam protests China, Philippines activity in disputed waters

Francesca Stevens, Bloomberg News on May 3, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Vietnam lodged a formal protest against China and the Philippines for activities that it said violate its sovereignty in the Spratly Islands area, in a move that underscores the persistent tensions over contested waters in the South China Sea.

Vietnam requires relevant parties to “refrain from actions that complicate the situation” and to comply with international law, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said Saturday, according to a post on a government website. She also called on the parties to contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Hang was responding to a question about the activities of China and the Philippines in certain disputed areas in the waters near the Spratly Islands.

China in late April asserted sovereignty over an uninhabited reef in the South China Sea by planting a flag. Just a few days later, the Philippines’ military and coast guard personnel carried out an operation in Sandy Cay to reinforce Manila’s “routine and lawful exercise of maritime domain awareness and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea,” the term it uses for waters within its exclusive economic zone.

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, where it has built numerous artificial islands. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same maritime area, and have sparred with China over where the boundaries fall.

____

(With assistance from Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen.)